The East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education voted 5-2 on Monday to convert MacDonald Middle School into a sixth-through-eighth-grade building.Justin Dacey | For MLive.com

EAST LANSING -- The East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education on Monday night approved a measure to add the district's sixth-grade students to MacDonald Middle School

Starting at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, all
of the district's sixth-graders will be relocated to the middle school at 1601 Burcham Drive as a part of a sixth-through-eight-grade structure. The district
currently has 263 fourth-graders that will be the first students affected by
the new model.

The board passed the plan by a 5-2 in favor margin.

The move is estimated to cost $8.2 million in necessary improvements to MacDonald Middle
School, including an elevator, turning the pool into a gymnasium and several
building renovations.

East Lansing school board President Hillary Henderson said
she was among the biggest skeptics of a sixth-through-eighth-grade model two
years ago, but the past two meetings with the middle school committee and her
own research made her change her position. She said the added
opportunities students will receive with the move to MacDonald Middle School
was too much to pass up.

"I am excited that these kids are going to get accelerated
math, accelerated science, orchestra, band, theater, (and) collaborative
learning spaces," she said. "Our teachers have the opportunities to work
together, to team-teach.

Board Vice President Kay Biddle said the
movement of all of East Lansing's sixth-graders to MacDonald Middle School
gives the district an opportunity to delete a transition from one school to
another for students.

"We can do better, and I think what this gives us an opportunity
to do is to do better," Biddle said. "It gets rid of a transition. It by all
reasonable projections will increase parental involvement with pure transitions
and longer in one location, which would be at the middle school.

"I wish it weren't ($8 million), but it is. At this point,
we have the opportunity to make this change for our kids. We have this
opportunity to make some positive opportunities for our kids and it looks like
this is what it costs to do that, and to do it well."

MacDonald Middle School will be sixth-through-eighth-grade building in a newly configured East Lansing school district, beginning in the 2014-2015 school year..MLive file photo

Approximately $3 million of the $8.2 million the district
will spend on MacDonald Middle School will be dedicated to constructing a new
sixth-grade wing for the incoming students.

Treasurer Nell Kuhnmuench and fellow board member Kath Edsall voted against the measure.
Kuhnmuench said she believes the money could be better spent elsewhere.

"I am very seriously concerned about committing $8 million
to moving our sixth grade to the middle school when we don't have a great deal
of expert research that necessarily supports that configuration," she said.
"I'm having a really difficult time getting my head around committing $8
million...to building a sixth grade in our middle school when there are so many
other needs in our neighborhood."

The approximate $8.2 million needed to complete the project
will come from the district's sinking fund balance. School board Secretary Babs
Krause said utilizing that balance to improve the middle school is
what is best for the district.

"I think it is an excellent use of our money," she said. "We
are using the money that was in a sinking fund and its title is to be used for
capital improvement project.

"The idea of taking that money and giving it up in our aging
elementary (schools) and making patchwork improvements would be the height of
fiscal irresponsibility."

While many board members and East Lansing residents
expressed their excitement about the new model for the students, Biddle said
the change also gives teachers an opportunity to be better instructors, which
is extremely important.

"I do believe everyone believes that teaching is the basis.
Teaching and educational leadership - that is the basis," Biddle said. "What we
have an opportunity to do tonight is to give some of our teachers a little bit
better tools, a little bit better environment."

After East Lansing residents last month approved a
$5.3 million bond that will help update technology and
security in its buildings, the school board unanimously approved the issuance
of bonds, delegation of the sale and other related matters for the
project.

Christian Palasty, the director of technology for East
Lansing Public Schools, said there are numerous updates that should be completed within
the first year.

"The items
we've identified are wireless installation in all the elementary buildings,
(and) exterior locking doors for the elementary (schools)," he said. "We have
the replacement of the high school computing devices and the classroom
enhancement systems, audio enhancement in K-6."

The board is scheduled to discuss
the possibility of converting the district's five K-4 buildings into K-5
buildings at its next meeting on March 25.